Department of Biology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA, USA.
Macaulay Library, Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Curr Biol. 2022 Oct 24;32(20):R1100-R1104. doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.07.073.
Birds are among nature's most social animals. They are renowned for their group migrations, their cooperative foraging, their communal roosting, their synchronous breeding aggregations, their precise parent-offspring interactions, their coordinated group defenses and their intricate territorial and courtship rituals. In these and other contexts, and indeed in most moments of their lives, birds' capacities to navigate complex social demands and relationships can tip the balance between health or sickness, between reproductive success or failure, between life or death. It is thus no surprise that birds have evolved sophisticated systems for mediating social interactions. Foremost among these are communication signals, most evident in birds as songs, calls, color patterns and postural displays. These and other communication signals can transmit information about a signalers' status, motivations and possible future actions, for sensory and cognitive processing by signal receivers. In general, signals provide benefits for both signal senders and receivers. Consider the bright spring plumage of a male wood warbler who has established a breeding territory. The male's plumage pattern benefits him by signaling his 'ownership' of his territory, which can help him attract potential mates and preempt conflict with potential rivals. His plumage pattern also benefits his intended audiences: it informs females about the signaler's potential as a mate, and it informs other males about the degree of threat they might face were they to attempt a territory take-over. Communication signals are, in essence, a glue that maintains the cohesion of bird societies, and a currency that mediates sophisticated relationships within.
鸟类是自然界中最具社交性的动物之一。它们以群体迁徙、合作觅食、集体栖息、同步繁殖聚集、精确的亲代-后代互动、协调的群体防御以及复杂的领地和求偶仪式而闻名。在这些和其他情况下，实际上在鸟类生活的大多数时刻，鸟类应对复杂社会需求和关系的能力可以决定其健康或疾病、繁殖成功或失败、生存或死亡之间的平衡。因此，鸟类进化出了复杂的社交互动调节系统也就不足为奇了。其中最重要的是通讯信号，在鸟类中最明显的是歌曲、叫声、颜色图案和姿势展示。这些和其他通讯信号可以传达信号发送者的状态、动机和可能的未来行动信息，供信号接收者进行感官和认知处理。一般来说，信号对信号发送者和接收者都有好处。以雄性林莺在繁殖地展示的鲜艳的春季羽毛为例。雄性的羽毛图案对他有好处，因为它标志着他对自己领地的“所有权”，这有助于他吸引潜在的配偶，并防止潜在的竞争对手与之发生冲突。他的羽毛图案也对他的目标受众有好处：它向雌性传达了信号发送者作为配偶的潜力，也向其他雄性传达了它们如果试图接管领地可能面临的威胁程度。通讯信号本质上是维持鸟类社会凝聚力的“胶水”，也是调节内部复杂关系的“货币”。
